Jane Austen's most loved story, Pride and Prejudice, will get a zombie treatment.

The film is based on the best-selling book of the same name, a "mash-up" of the iconic Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice and "zombie" horror stories.

The book, written by Seth Grahame-Smith, was published in 2009. It was part of a literary genre that blends classics with the tropes of modern horror, such as zombies, vampires and other iconic monsters.

James will play the novel's heroine, Elizabeth Bennett, and Riley will play the dashing Mr Darcy, now re-cast as a "monster hunter". Heathcote will play Jane Bennett, Elizabeth’s sister, who falls for the dashing Mr Bingley.

Plans for a film adaptation of the book have been kicking around Hollywood since 2009. At different times of its life, Natalie Portman, Emma Stone and Lily Collins have been flagged as possible stars.